This invention relates to communicating ancillary information associated with a plurality of audio/video programs, such as television content associated with a plurality of channels.
Ancillary information, such as program subtitles, emergency messages, closed caption messages and program guide information, may be transmitted with regular television content. Other types of ancillary information that may be sent with television content includes enhancement data such as web pages, multimedia information or other digital data files. Ancillary information may be sent during the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of an analog television broadcast signal. Alternatively, the ancillary information may be sent with digital television content over a digital transport medium.
Various standards exist that provide for transmission of ancillary information with television content. One standard is the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) Specification, Draft 1.1r.26, dated Feb. 2, 1999. The ATVEF Specification provides for transmission of enhancement data along with television content in both analog and digital systems, such as cable systems, satellite systems, terrestrial systems, and so forth. The combination of enhancement data and the television content may be referred to as enhanced television content.
Enhanced television content provides more information options to viewers. For example, a viewer may be presented with the option of viewing advertisements, educational information and so forth while watching regular television programming.
With more competition, television providers are increasingly interested in ways to increase viewer loyalty. Commonly, viewers may surf between different channels switching from program to program. Particularly, during the transmission of commercials, viewers may try other channels or may leave temporarily. This decreases the effectiveness of the commercials and therefore diminishes the desirability of the television content to advertisers. This ultimately means that, increasingly, broadcasting cost may ultimately be borne by the viewer in terms of pay or pay-per-view television.
Thus, there is a need for better ways to increase the viewer loyalty of viewers of video programming.